Before there was a Dreamliner, Boeing was dreaming about the Sonic Cruiser. This concept jet airliner with a delta wing configuration was first proposed by the Boeing Commercial Airplane Company in 2001. It was distinguished from conventional aircraft not only by the configuration of its wings, but also by its high-subsonic cruising speeds up to Mach 0.98. However, major carriers told the aerospace giant they preferred lower operating costs over the higher speeds and so the company dropped the Sonic Cruiser project in December 2002. Within one short month, they shifted their attention to a more conventional, slower (Mach 0.85) and more fuel-efficient airliner first dubbed the 7E7. There has since been a great deal of speculation over whether Boeing was developing this jet all along and simply set a strategic trap for rival Airbus. Airlines were suffering huge economic losses after 9/11 and needed to cut costs. Passenger count was way down and those who did fly were not willing to pay a premium. Perhaps Boeing knowingly promoted the Sonic Cruiser to trick Airbus into building the A380? In any case, Airbus spent billions developing the superjumbo jets and in the end, the new Boeing airplane outsold the A380 by a ratio of 4-to1.
Early concept images for this new airliner included rakish cockpit windows, a dropped nose and a distinctive “shark fin” tail. But what about the “E” in 7E7? It was said to stand for various things, such as “efficiency” or “environmentally friendly.” To promote the new jetliner and, I suspect to clear up the confusion, in July 2003 Boeing ran a competition to name it. Rather than having the public suggest their own, four names were put to the global vote. Those included: Dreamliner, Global Cruiser, Stratoclimber and eLiner. When it was over, about 500,000 people from 160 different countries voted on what to call the new plane and the name Dreamliner came out on top by only 2,500 votes. It would take another year and a half though for the “E” to be officially replaced by the number eight. The rest is history, beginning in 2004 when Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) became the launch customer for the 787 Dreamliner with an initial order for 50 aircraft.
But it wasn’t just the name that was going to be different. The 787 was designed to be the first production airliner with a one-piece, carbon-fiber fuselage instead of multiple aluminum sheets with some 50,000 fasteners. It was the first airliner with an airframe primarily made of composite materials and one that made extensive use of new electrical systems. Externally, it’s distinguished by its four-window cockpit, raked wingtips and the noise-reducing chevrons on its engine nacelles. (Chevrons are the sawtooth pattern seen on the trailing edges of its jet engines. As hot air from the engine core mixes with cooler air blowing through the engine fan, the shaped edges serve to smooth the mixing.) On the inside, the Dreamliner promised a spacious cabin with lower cabin altitude pressure, allowing more comfortable, higher onboard humidity levels. It also featured larger windows with dimmers instead of shades.
At launch, Boeing targeted 20 per cent less fuel burn for the 787 than aircraft it replaced like the 767. It was designed to carry between 200 to 300 passengers (depending upon configuration) on point-to-point routes up to 8,500 nautical miles, a shift from hub-and-spoke travel. The Dreamliner is powered by General Electric GEnx or Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 high-bypass turbofan engines. This jetliner was a game changer. It extracts 35 per cent less power from the engines, allowing for increased thrust and improved fuel efficiency. Among other new 787 flight systems, a key change from traditional airliners is the electrical architecture. The total available on-board electrical power is 1.45 megawatts, which is five times the power available on conventional pneumatic airliners.
By the end of 2004, there were 237 orders and commitments for the 787, making it the fastest-selling jetliner in history. With an initially scheduled May 2008 entry into service, there was no time to waste. Production began in late 2006, the first aircraft's final assembly was in May 2007 and the celebrated roll out occurred on July 8, 2007. When it emerged from the factory floor on that warm summer day, it should’ve been just months away from its first flight. Unfortunately, it was years away because the Dreamliner experienced any number of growing pains. Despite its initial commercial success, Boeing would ultimately face its most severe production crisis since the 747 program four decades earlier. The company’s plan was to simply transform its 787 line in Everett into an assembly plant, bolting together virtually all the sub-assemblies designed and produced elsewhere in the world as though they were pieces of a model airplane kit. Issues emerged right from the start. Some of the 787 components make by far-flung suppliers didn’t fit together. Many subcontractors couldn’t meet their output quotas creating huge supply chain logjams when critical parts weren’t available in the necessary sequence.
The result? Long delays, angry customers, overweight aircraft and financial pain that pushed Boeing’s breakeven point to well beyond the sale and delivery of their 1,000th Dreamliner. These setbacks delayed the maiden flight more than two years until December 15, 2009 when it finally took to the skies from Paine Field in Everett at 10:27 local time, before an estimated crowd of more than 12,000 employees and guests. Type certification was received in August 2011 and the first 787-8 was delivered to ANA in September 2011. The aircraft entered commercial service with the airline the following month. In fact, when that Dreamliner first entered passenger service with ANA on October 26, 2011, it was 53 years to the day after Pan American World Airways introduced the world to the Boeing 707 with a transatlantic flight from New York to Paris. The first Dreamliner flight was a special charter from Tokyo's Narita Airport to the Chek Lap Kok Airport in Hong Kong.
Since then, additional problems have beset the new jetliner. The 787s were grounded worldwide for several months in early 2013 after several planes suffered electrical system malfunctions stemming from their lithium-ion batteries. Incidents included an electrical fire aboard an ANA aircraft in Japan and a similar fire quickly discovered on a parked Dreamliner in Boston. Both the US and Japanese investigators were never able to precisely identify what caused the batteries to overheat and ignite. Boeing’s fixes included better insulation for the batteries’ eight cells and a stainless-steel box designed to encase the batteries and vent possible smoke or hazardous gases out of the planes.
Despite the production delays and the lithium-ion battery issues, the 787 Dreamliner remains very popular with global airlines and the aircraft is used extensively on intercontinental long-haul routes, thanks to its efficiency and reduced operating costs. Boeing has delivered nearly 1,000 787s with nearly 500 unfilled still orders on the books. The aerospace giant is largely credited with kicking off a new era for the industry with this ultra-modern jetliner that now sees service with nearly 70 different airlines across the globe.
Until next time…stay safe.
Comments